It’s not exactly ancient history, the time when Wisconsin and pretty much the entire upper Midwest was kind of a punchline. Fargo was what, 1996? That’s only 20 years since the extent of what a lot of people knew about the upper Midwest was a Minnesota accent.
A lot has changed since then. The Packers won a couple Super Bowls. Perhaps more relevant, three Wisconsin chefs have won James Beard awards. And Wisconsin’s brewing heritage, once the pride of the nation, is back on the rise.
Through those dark, “you betcha” days — and long before, in fact — Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company was here, brewing straightforward, classic beers. It’s been Wisconsin craft brewing since before that was even a thing, and even though it’s owned by MillerCoors, it still feels like a Wisconsin brewery.
This continuing home state-y vibe is what makes Leinenkugel’s recent moves a little sad, although understandable. The brewery created — and, incidentally, just scuttled — a national ad campaign pitching Leinie’s Wisconsin heritage with the goofy, apropos-of-nothing surrealism of an Old Spice spot.
Distributors complained, looking for ads that spoke to the true Wisconsin history of the brewery, rather than the “millennials will have to like this” visual of a tuba in the forest. I don’t blame them for feeling like the original campaign was off-message.
Prior to that, back in February, Leinenkugel brewed its last-ever batch of Leinenkugel’s Red lager. This was one of the first non-macro beers I ever drank, along with another Leinenkugel beer, Creamy Dark. Red has been retired in favor of a trendier red pale ale, which will be a Wisconsin exclusive.
Weirdest of all was the news that broke back in December, that a flagship Leinenkugel restaurant and bar would open in the first quarter of 2016 — in the bustling Power & Light District of Kansas City. Kansas City — as in Missouri? What gives?
Anything craft is growing right now. It’s why Wisconsin has Ballast Point and Almanac and Cascade in from the West Coast, distributing to our shelves. Heck, even Stone looks like it’s going to come back.
As beer drinkers in Wisconsin, we know that our state is a good market. A challenging market. We know our beer. We tend to get grumpy when interesting breweries leave (Stone and Dogfish Head in 2011, Solemn Oath in 2015), and excited when they return or distribute for the first time (Dogfish Head in 2013, and of course Surly last year).
After that Leinenkugel restaurant opened earlier this month, I sent a puzzled email to Tyler Peters, a friend who works at Tenth and Blake, Leinenkugel’s branch of the MillerCoors mothership. You guys headed somewhere?
“Nothing new per se on the horizon,” he said. “Just a sign that Leinie’s is gaining traction outside of the Great Lakes region.”
“There’s been some confusion in the media about this [opening],” he said. “Leinenkugel’s doesn’t have any ownership of the restaurant. The Power & Light District was interested in bringing in a Leinie’s/Wisconsin-themed restaurant.”
So now add Leinenkugel to the Wisconsin mystique, that includes out-of-state bars getting in trouble for serving New Glarus beers, the Happy Cooking Hospitality group in New York City (which made its name as the Little Wisco Restaurant Group) — and Justin Vernon’s Eaux Claires music festival. We’re selling Wisconsin, and the rest of the country’s buying.
Editor's note: This article has been edited to more accurately reflect Leinenkugel's ownership.
